


Superstar

by PaladinGabe



Series: JeanMarco Month [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 2007 Specifically, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternative Universe - 2000's, American Football, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Anxiety, Car Sex, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Coming Out anxiety, Explicit Sexual Content, First Kiss, First Time, Friends With Benefits, Friends With Benefits To Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Healthy Coming Out, High School Football, Homecoming Dance, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, New Jersey, Self-Harm, Their favorite artist is Brand New, Underage Drinking, generalized anxiety, i know nothing about football so no gameplay, implied depression, messy sex, past self-harm, they live in jersey just like me!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 17:53:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11340429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaladinGabe/pseuds/PaladinGabe
Summary: Marco wanted his senior year to be absolutely perfect. He was on the top of his game, with being the captain of the football team and having his top choice school interested in giving him a full ride scholarship. But when he shared his first kiss with his best friend at an after party, he quickly realized that the first month to the Year of Marco was not going to be anything like he'd expected.





	Superstar

**Author's Note:**

> Longest one shot I've ever done! This pretty much my BIG work for the entirety of Jeanmarco Month! What started off as a generator prompt rocked my world for a week! I hope you guys enjoy!  
> I like to think my most common trope is mixing smut with angst, and this is a NOTORIOUS example. Plus, I think it's because I had a huge hiatus from writing NSFW content, but I feel like I'm EXTREMELY descriptive and explicit in this one. What do you think??
> 
> Check out this [Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgxVL_CG9nvfFj3n3uE3CEMZY6ZKVWDWN) I made for it! Prepare to get nostalgic! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING, PLEASE READ FOR CONTEXT:  
> It is IMPLIED that Jean used to harm himself. I don't have him do anything currently, but if you're uncomfortable with the idea that he did it in the past, I won't be offended if you don't want to read it. And I don't want anyone to think that this is being Romanticized™. That is the LAST thing I want.  
> It is also referenced that he goes to therapy and has been going for months to help with treatment. In that process, he found a healthier coping mechanism, which is art.  
> He and Marco also like to say that he is "cut free." It's basically implying an inside thing between them where Jean looks at his recovery very much like how an addict goes through rehab. Instead of saying "sober," he says "cut free," so that he could have a little bit of light-heartedness and milestones to his recovery. He is also very proud of himself for conquering this dark point in his life. There are a couple instances too, where I've described he has a few scars on his thighs.  
> I just don't want people coming in not expecting this, and based off of my personal experiences the last thing I would want is someone romanticizing it.
> 
> If you are currently harming yourself or seeing it as the only way to cope, first of all: Know that you are not alone. Many people are struggle with it, including myself. Second, reach out to someone for help. You can get the help you need, and you don't have to go through this on your own.

_This was going to be Marco’s_ year. He was on the top of his game. As the captain of the football team for the reigning Class of 2008, how couldn’t he be excited? He started the school year off with a bang. Tonight was the big opening game. He was pumped! The pep rally got him pepped up beyond excitement. It was his time to shine! He stepped out of his house in sheer delight and hopped right into his car.

“Good luck, Superstar.”

The familiar voice made him perk up to the porch next door. It was his childhood friend, Jean Kirschtein. He was an art kid at school, but despite the stereotypes that the other popular kids perpetuate to other students around them, he really was a cool guy. He certainly was nicer than any other person in the whole school. It was unfortunate that he had to stand up for him all the time. Most of his team mates dismiss him by saying he’s “just an emo.” Marco liked him for who he was, not for what other people thought he was.

“Thanks,” he grinned widely. “But I thought you were coming to watch.”

“I am,” he smiled. “I was testing you. Just wanted to make sure you remembered.”

“How would I ever forget? Hop in!” he insisted and unlocked the passenger door for him.

Jean was always his biggest fan. He couldn’t even breathe during a game without knowing he was watching. They were practically inseparable! The perfect friendship, really.

They drove to the school, and he let Jean pick the music. He loved his taste. They often listened to Brand New together, but of course they had a wide array of different rock and alternative albums between the two of them. Neither of them liked listening to the radio, so they started a collection from as far back as near the end of their freshman year. They both knew the lyrics to almost every single song in that collection by heart while driving in the car, and they often sang loud enough for their throats to burn.

Marco’s minor, previous nerves were all now relaxed as he showed up at the school. He hurried into the locker room while Jean went to pick his own seat at the bleachers. He took deep breaths, pumping himself up. He was ready! He was at the top of his game!

“Ready, champ?” Reiner slapped his shoulder playfully, hitting the armor pads underneath.

“Sure hope so,” he grinned as he looked at his teammates. “We’re gonna crush the Eagles! It’s time to make your dads proud!”

They all cheered, ready to release all their nerves through their throws, kicks, and sprints throughout a hundred yards of turf. As the marching band played and their hearts pounded so hard their ears were pulsing, they raced through the makeshift tunnel as hundreds of screaming fans greeted them. The opposing team was met with scorn, and Marco couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

He could see Jean cheering for him with this gleam in his eye. Although he couldn’t exactly hear what he was saying, he knew that all of his friend’s cheers were for him. He felt even more at ease.

He channeled that joy into his playing. It was the most exhilarating start to the season that he ever could have imagined. And with that, they’d won the game.

\--

_“Hey, Bodt! Congrats on a great_ start to the season!”

Marco heard one of the older fans of the team and grinned up at him while tossing his bag over his shoulder to balance the weight. “I appreciate it, Sir!”

He mirrored his beamed expression. “I see a lot of potential in you. You could even be right up there with the pros! Good luck to you.”

“Thanks— thank you,” Marco gasped and waved when the man left. He went back to his car and shoved his bag in the back seat.

Jean was leaning against the passenger side with a grin. “Congrats, Superstar,” he hummed, keeping this watchful eye on him.

Marco smiled. “Thanks. I think if it wasn’t for you watching, I’d be a goner. You’re like my good luck charm.”

“Heh. Must be my rabbit’s foot.” He glanced at the little keychain on Marco’s ring.

“Most likely. The affect rubbed off on me,” he chuckled as they both got in. “The team invited me to an after party tomorrow night at Reiner’s summer house. Wanna come?”

Jean pretended to be pondering it. “Hmm… I may have to move some things around in my schedule, but I think I can squeeze it in.”

“ _Jean,_ ” he laughed and started the car. “Are you coming, or not?”

“You know what, I will,” he nodded. “But if any of those assholes says one more thing about my new piercing, we’re out.”

“Deal,” he grinned, and he reached over to play with the ring on his lower lip.

“ _Stop,”_ Jean grimaced. “It still hurts, y’know!”

“Sorry, sorry.” They both drove home together singing more songs and embracing the late evening traffic. Neither of them wanted to go home right away. They were perfectly content where they were right then.

\--

_So far, the party was just_ about as what anyone would expect. People were dancing, chatting among themselves, and drinking. Oh yeah, there was a lot of drinking. Reiner’s parties were never supervised, but Marco and Jean were smart. They brought their own non-alcoholic drinks that they kept in the car.

Marco never found the appeal to alcohol. After seeing first-hand what it can do to a person if they’re not careful, it practically scared him into abstaining from it. And Jean preferred to enjoy his parties sober. He’d be able to remember all the crazy shit that happened during it and tell his own friends about it in the cafeteria on Monday.

Most of the teammates were plastered. Marco kept away from them to enjoy himself in some clean fun. He and Jean were outside on the beach, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean while sitting by a bonfire.

“How is your therapy going, Jean?”

Jean looked over at his friend. “It’s okay. It’s helping me cope better. I can’t always expect everything to get better and go right instantly. And my counselor’s helping me with that right now.”

“That’s great,” Marco grinned. “Still cut free?”

The smile on Jean’s face grew prouder as he nodded quickly. “Three months as of yesterday.”

“I’m so happy for you!” He gave him a big hug. “And you thought that things weren’t going to get any better. You’re becoming your own superstar.”

“Oh, please,” he mumbled modestly, but the smile was still there. “Besides, it doesn’t sound right unless if you’re the one that is the superstar.”

“What was your favorite part of the game?” Marco pondered as he poked at the fire with a stick.

“When you weren’t too distracted trying to wave to me and your mom,” he teased and nudged his shoulder.

“Asshole,” he laughed and looked at him. “How’s that piercing healing?”

“It’s alright,” he mumbled. Jean wasn’t looking at him. “I’m not sure if I like it, though. It feels weird when I try to eat.”

“Well, that’s no reason to get rid of it,” he frowned. “You’ve been begging your mom to get it for months!”

Jean sighed. “I’ll give it a few more days. If I don’t like it, I’m taking it out.”

“Fair enough,” he shrugged as he hummed to himself. The music inside was anything that could be found on the Top 40. Marco didn’t mind it all that much, but he preferred the music that he was able to comfortably listen to within the confinements of his bedroom. And the only one he knew that enjoyed it as much as he did was his best friend seated beside him.

He heard some people screaming the lyrics to the latest Soulja Boy song inside, and the couple cracked up. From a distance, they sounded more ridiculous than they probably realized. But Marco didn’t blame them. He liked the song, too.

“I finally got a phone.” Jean took his cellphone out. “Check it out. There’s a full keyboard inside it when you open it up.” He showed it to him. “It’s called the enV.”

“Wow, that’s so cool,” Marco grinned. “Your dad let you get one?”

“Yeah,” he hummed and put it away. “I can never have those phones where there’s no keyboard. It’d get too confusing.”

“You get used to it,” Marco shrugged. “But’s a pain in the ass, too, because I can’t go over the Internet plan. My mom nearly killed me the last time I did that looking up stuff on Youtube.”

“Then use your desktop, you loser,” he chuckled and tapped his forehead.

Marco blushed. “But then she would know I was looking up how to kiss!”

Jean lifted his hand to his chest in mock surprise. “Who the hell are you kissing?”

“N-no one!” He looked away. “I just… would like to know these things for when the time finally comes.”

“I’m requesting permission to call you a nerd for looking up how to kiss on the Internet,” he chuckled.

“You’re mean,” he pouted. “But… granted.”

“Then you are a huge nerd,” he chuckled. “But, considering that you’ve still never been kissed, I think that has to be changed. You shouldn’t feel like the only way you’ll figure out how to is by looking it up on the Internet instead of experiencing it yourself.”

He raised a brow. “Okay, smarty pants, how are we gonna get that to happen?”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Marco’s mind was lost in thought, and he barely caught the idea that Jean had come up with.

“Why don’t we do it?”

“Wha—?” He looked over and blushed. “What do you mean? Like… the two of _us_ kissing?”

“Yeah.”

Marco can see the flustered look on Jean’s face. He understood that it took a bit to actually bring himself to say that.

“I mean…” Jean paused. “If you’re into that sentimental shit, then we don’t have to. But I just figured, hey. If you’re gonna have your first kiss, it’s gotta be done right. And I think I can help, maybe. I’ve kissed people before, so…”

“But what about your lip ring?” Marco asked curiously.

“Don’t worry about that,” he chuckled. “I think this will be the perfect test to see if it’s worth keeping.”

“Okay.” He fidgeted in his seat. The bonfire was starting to die a little, but he enjoyed the warmth while it was still lasting. “So… are we really doing this?”

Jean turned to face him. “Is it what you want?”

He gulped. “I never thought about it. I mean, kissing a guy. Or a girl, as a matter of fact. I just was never too invested in seeing anyone. My schoolwork and football have always been my top priorities, y’know?”

“I understand. If you don’t like the idea, that’s fine,” Jean insisted again.

Marco nodded slowly. “I-I know, I’m just nervous.”

“It’s alright,” Jean crooned and grinned up at him. “Look at you, all bashful, Marco.”

“Uh, one more thing,” he gasped just as Jean was about to lean in. “This won’t ruin our friendship, right?”

Jean’s lips faltered. “I think it’ll break some barriers. But I think I’ll live with that.”

He never thought about doing anything like this with _Jean_ , let alone a guy in general. Well, sure, he’s considered himself open romantically, but to act on it was a step he never considered taking. It was a little scary, now that he was thinking about it, but honestly, he liked the idea.

Why were they still stalling?

“I think I will, too,” Marco smiled shyly.

He felt Jean’s hand cup right under his chin and start to pull his face closer. He tried quickly remembering what he needed to do based off of the videos he’d watched online. Technology really was a wonderful thing, sometimes.

But kissing in real life was far better than anything he’d ever try to look up in a video.

Despite the piercing, Jean’s lips were so soft against his that it was soothing. It was warm, sweet, and slow. And when Marco’s mouth parted open on a sigh, he could taste a shy bit of metal of the lip ring. He didn’t mind it too much, at all, especially when Jean’s tongue rubbed against the roof of his mouth.

He felt like he was melting.

Marco forgot how to breathe during the kiss, so when he started feeling woozy Jean pulled away. He gasped and panted, looking at his friend with these wide eyes and raised brows.

“So?” he hummed and ran his fingers through his hair.

He was still in a daze. “W-wow…”

“That good?” he teased. He glanced around; no one was outside. “Want another?”

Marco didn’t even have to speak. He started to nod and was immediately met with another deep kiss. This time he remembered to breathe, trying to keep his head clear. His lips lightly tugged on Jean’s piercing, causing him to whine and open his mouth. Jean had the lead the whole time, but he still had shaky hands from just that little tug.

As Marco took the time to get a gulp of air, Jean pressed further by holding the back of his head to keep him close. His face was hot, and his entire body quivered, and he was at Jean’s mercy.

Pulling away left the poor guy whimpering. He still couldn’t believe that just happened! Jean kissed him! And the best part was, he really liked it. He wanted more of those kisses, but he started feeling wary of the idea once people started coming outside to enjoy the party away from the loud music.

At that point, the two of them shifted away. Marco was shy, while Jean kept watching him. His staring was intense, making him feel smaller than he actually was.

“Let’s go home,” Marco suggested after more silence.

All Jean could do was nod.

The ride home was awkward. The music was a lot quieter than it normally was, which left enough time for the two of them to think things over and process what’d just happened at the party.

Marco was worried. Although now he definitely knew how to sum up his sexuality, he was anxious over several aspects. Did this mean that the two of them were dating? If so, were they going to keep it quiet? Were they still just friends? He didn’t know what to think!

He pulled into his driveway and turned to the passenger side. Jean’s head was down.

“…Hey, Jean?”

He was relieved when he perked up. “What?”

“What happens now?” His voice was gentle, despite how quickly his mind was going. “What do we do?”

“The first thing we have to do is relax.” Jean gave him his same old, crooked smile. “Let’s not think too deeply about all this, for now. We can keep this to ourselves. Friends do things like this together all the time.”

“Do they?” Marco never heard of such a concept.

“Sure,” he smiled. “And even if they didn’t, that’d mean we’d be the first to break barriers. Doesn’t that sound exciting?”

“Well yeah, I suppose.”

“Great,” he hummed. “I wouldn’t mind doing more firsts with you.”

“Really?” He didn’t mean for the blush to appear, blooming all over his face. “Neither would I. Jean…”

Jean kissed his forehead. “Good night, Superstar,” he hummed and stepped out of the car.

As he watched him leave, he was shaking from excitement. “Wait—”

“What’s up?” Jean turned to him.

He could feel his face getting even redder. “So, what’s your conclusion on the lip ring?”

His grin got larger. “I’m keeping it.”

Marco covered his mouth at hearing that. He watched him go inside and had to wait another hour to fully relax. The kiss made him feel so elated for several days.

_\--_

_The Shore was a great place_ to have a good time during the off season. Hardly anyone was there, and the locals were able to have a taste of freedom before the weather got too cold to do anything on the boardwalk.

Jean and Marco were resting from their walk against the wall of Lucky Leo’s Arcade, each of them having an earphone in their ears while listening to music on Marco’s phone. They were humming together, not minding the minor traffic of pedestrians that occasionally looked at them.

As Jean was shivering from the breeze, Marco started taking his varsity jacket off.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Jean started interjecting.

“You’re cold,” he chided with a grin. “If you feel bad, you can give it back when we go home.”

“Oh, fine.” He pouted as he took the jacket. “I’m only doing this because I’m cold.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” he chuckled teasingly. “It’s kinda big on you. Will it keep you warm?”

“Yes.” It came out as a purr that made him start to blush. “Besides, it smells like you.”

“You like my smell?”

The nod that follows after makes him look away shyly. He still wasn’t sure what was going on in their friendship. It’d been two weeks since their kiss, and they didn’t have another one afterwards or talk about it any further. He wasn’t sure why. Sure, he was a little shy about the subject, but Jean didn’t bring it up, either.

They were such good friends pretty much all their lives. They were so close that they’d even shared baths together as toddlers after long days playing outside. The two of them rode bikes together all over town, and they got drinks and sandwiches together at Wawa. Marco was there for Jean when he got his tonsils removed, and Jean returned the favor when Marco busted up his leg during a game sophomore year.

If it weren’t for Marco intervening, Jean probably wouldn’t be here right now. During sophomore and junior years, Jean horribly struggled with depression and harbored resentment from his father, not to mention that it was during that time when he found out more about himself. Marco was able to warn his friend’s mother once he was showing hazardous signs, and they were able to get him to start seeking help. Of course, he still had a long road to recovery, and they were taking it in slow strides. Marco was always with Jean, even on his worst days. He definitely had gotten much better, though. Marco could see that in how he expressed himself so confidently.

They were practically each other’s halves, but neither of them looked into this any further than a strong, trustworthy friendship. And even now, with two electrifying kisses as part of their history, that was all they saw each other as.

“Are you okay, Superstar?”

Marco glanced over after being startled. He gave a rushed nod. “Just thinking.”

“About what?” Jean hummed as he took the earphone out. They went back to walking on the boardwalk. While passing Casino Pier, they saw the different areas and rides that were closed off for the season.

Marco sighed. “You’re gonna think it’s silly. I was just thinking again about… that kiss, and what it means.”

He saw Jean grow a dusty pink. “Oh. That?” After Marco nodded, he let out a sigh. “I thought about it, too. In fact, I wouldn’t mind having more of those.”

“Really? Me neither!”

He laughed. “I don’t want to think of anyone else tugging on my lip ring. You’ve got that down pact.”

“Oh, Christ!” he blurted and looked down. “I’m just worried… you know? About coming out….”

“No, I understand. I was, too,” he sighed. “I just want to make sure that it really is something that you want, and that it’s not just because I’m doing it.”

“I do. I do want it.”

“Good,” he smiled as they were holding hands. It was completely unintentional. They were always this close, they couldn’t help themselves! “So, we’re gonna try this new… thing together as friends?”

That wasn’t exactly what Marco meant. Or maybe it was, he didn’t know. All he really wanted was a way to be closer to Jean without either ruining their friendship or pushing him away. So if this was what he thought Jean could handle, then he wanted it like this, too.

“Yeah,” he nodded happily. “We are.”

The two of them glanced around when they were near a closed ticket booth, just to make sure that no one was looking. As there was a breeze coming in, Jean tugged the varsity jacket tighter onto himself while Marco felt the fabric of his clothes and leaned close. The kiss they shared with each other was brief, especially compared to how they kissed at the party, but it was enough to satisfy them plenty. They were quickly growing addicted to this. With that mutual agreement, they decided to take this next step in their friendship.

\--

_Everything was kept low-key. At school_ , no one suspected anything. They were basically testing the waters, one could say. That was perfectly okay. The idea of the two of them moving from friends to…maybe a little bit more than friends, was a little scary of a step to take, but they were willing to try and cross that barrier together.

In the comfort of each other’s houses, they had a little more freedom. But when their friends with benefits agreement first started out, they were doing nothing more but little kisses.

Marco often wondered about what it would be like if the two of them were officially dating. He concluded that the best thing about dating his best friend was that he could very easily skip passed the awkward stages that new couples usually had to go through. There were no secrets between them. They knew each other all their lives, for crying out loud! They knew their likes and dislikes. All of that was already over the surface, so they didn’t need to dig deep, grow balls to talk about themselves, nor did they need to break any ice. They’d accomplished the typical first five dates and first three months of a relationship combined in the fourteen year-long friendship with each other.

They were in Jean’s room watching Spongebob, trying to think of what they could do together over the weekend that Marco was staying over. Marco had just finished his shower after the game and was just lounging on the bed. He had his head in Jean’s lap, and each time he felt his fingers thread through his hair he blushed a light pink and hummed.

After a while he nuzzled further into his lap. “I’m so fucked next week,” he whined. “We have to do an extra hour of practice every day to make sure we’re not rusty from summertime. All because one guy missed a damn field goal.”

“The coaches gotta keep their honor,” Jean assured him, but he kept a sarcastic tone. “They wanna turn you into walking zombies.”

“Ugh, I already _am_ one!” he groaned. “This is the most relaxed I’ve been in six days. I already can’t wait until the season’s over.”

“You don’t mean that,” he smiled. “Besides, it will feel incredible to get that full ride to Stohess, right?”

Marco thought about it, and he gave in to that smile. He relaxed his frown and put a hand on his knee. “Yeah, it would.” He got up to sit beside Jean and leaned close to him. “Let’s not talk about football anymore,” he murmured. “…Can we make out?”

“Oh, Marco, you don’t even have to ask,” he chuckled and held his head while breaking the gap between them to kiss him. Marco always gave into them. They were so dizzying and mind-numbingly amazing that he let him lead all the time. This time when Marco lightly pulled on the lip ring, a needier whine escaped from Jean’s throat before they kissed each other more.

While shifting onto his lap, Marco felt his shirt and shivered as they tried to pull on the fabric of each other’s clothes.

Then Spongebob’s laugh completely obliterated their concentration.

They groaned and couldn’t help but laugh. Marco reached for his remote.

“Honestly, he was so rude,” he giggled as he turned it off.

Jean grinned and stayed seated. He then gave him this wider smile that made Marco feel suspicious. “I see that despite that, it didn’t make you go deflated.”

They looked down in between their legs, and Marco took note that he had a tent in his sweatpants. He supposed that it was because of the intense albeit brief make out session between the two of them.

“O-oh.”

Jean laughed and rubbed his arms. “It’s okay. You and I both know very well that things like this happen.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But, what’s wrong?” he hummed and took his hand.

With his grip tightening, he swallowed hard. “This time I actually… I-I want us to go further.”

“Yeah?” Jean blushed. “Are you sure? You really exerted yourself at the game.”

“I know. But I-I just really want us to touch each other.” He bit his lip. “Is that okay?”

“Of course, it is…” Jean crooned and held him to sit firmer on his lap. “You don’t have to be nervous around me. You know me…”

Marco nodded. “Yeah, b-but this is different.”

Jean grinned at the way he stammered when he rolled his hips up. “It’s alright, Marco.”

He panted as they started undressing each other. “I-I wanna touch you first. Please?”

“God, _yes,_ ” he smiled.

They’d seen each other naked all the time. But they’d never seen erections put into the equation. Just sitting there with Marco right on Jean’s lap made the both of them flustered. His eyes occasionally scanned Jean’s body, trying not to linger too long at the few scars on his thighs. It felt strange and intimate, being able to see him fully exposed. Jean wasn’t looking at himself. He was too busy his hands along Marco’s thighs before taking his one hand.

Knowing what this was leading to, Marco gulped and let him lead. His hand was guided down lower and lower, touching the pale skin along his chest and abdomen before reaching down to his crotch. His fingers were getting shaky. He’d never been with _anyone_ before, and he just wanted to make this perfect. He wanted Jean to know through his touches just how great he’d always made him feel. It was the least he could do.

The shudder that ran all over Jean’s body when Marco’s fingers wrapped around his cock was all the reassurance he needed to get himself started. He gave a couple firm, slow strokes just to experiment, and the response he got was overwhelming. He quickened his hand gradually and watched Jean’s face.

“Ohh yeah,” he groaned and gave Marco a smirk. “You’re doing great.”

Marco blushed darkly while he continued. He gained a little more confidence in his ministrations. He took Jean’s hand while he was still stroking him and moved it to his chest to touch him.

Jean did more than just touch him. He was right up against him, leaving kisses along his throat and down his shoulders. His fingertips were agonizingly feathery and slow while trailing his muscles that were tensing on hitched breaths. They were still lacking pressure, even as his hand was now stroking him with a teasing pace.

“J-Jean—“ he gasped out before a moan. His hips rocked right up into his hand, dying for the same friction that he was giving the other.

He grinned on a moan as he watched Marco squirm on his lap. “Lemme have a look at you.”

As he scooted back so he was up against the wall, Marco was still flustered on his lap while spreading out a bit. His legs were almost looped all the way on either side, and his free hand was gripping onto the sheets. How could Jean bring him to such a needy state?

Marco’s eyes widened when seeing Jean’s dick twitch at the sight.

“There we go,” he crooned and reached over to his nightstand. Inside a drawer there was an unkempt bottle of lube that he pulled out.

He watched Jean pour the lube onto his hand with confusion. “What do you need that for?”

“You’ll see,” Jean smirked and then took his working hand. “I’m gonna put some on your hand too. Just make sure it’s a little warmed up, okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded shyly and felt the liquid in his hand using his fingers. It slicked up and squelched, making the tips of his fingers all slippery. That was when he realized why Jean thought it was a good idea for the two of them to use this stuff.

_Oh._

When Jean wrapped his hand around his cock again, he gave several quick pumps. It _glided_ so _smoothly_ , and Marco choked on a gasp as he hurried to touch Jean, too. He tried keeping in time with him.

“T-there we go,” Jean chuckled as his hair started getting in his face.

They were both sweating while trying to pump their hands faster. Marco started to rock up into his fist even more, aching for the feeling. He’d touched himself before, plenty of times, but this… especially with the lube, it was much more exciting and arousing. Having someone else do the work for him thrilled him. And Jean’s reactions while he was doing the same to him was rewarding.

“Y-yes, hah!” Marco whimpered. His hand was moving so fast that his fist was a complete blur. His own pace started faltering while the pleasure was getting more intense. It was pooling and coiling up deep in his gut.

Jean moaned against his skin while nipping at his shoulders. It was making Marco whimper and squirm more, knowing that he was leaving bruises.

His previous orgasms had been messy, but just the buildup alone for this one was even more powerful than anything he’d ever done on his own. It was scary but at the same time thrilling. Marco’s mouth gaped open as he experienced a sudden jolt of pleasure. His face, shoulders, even his chest were flushed pink as a stream of pre-come erupted all over Jean’s forearm. He hid his face as quickly as it happened.

Jean’s clean hand touched his cheek, which made his hand falter more during his strokes. He was already so close that he couldn’t take it!

“Hey, it’s okay,” he murmured. “It’s alright, baby, you’re so gorgeous. And you’re amazing with your hand, too. Look how hard I’ve gotten.”

Marco brought himself to peek between their legs again. Jean had pre-come beading on the slit, while Marco was as messy as humanly possible. It was obvious that the former had more experience that him, but he found his comfort reassuring.

“You don’t have to touch me right now,” Jean then assured him. “Lemme help you come first. I wanna watch you.”

He gulped and nodded nervously as he let go. He wasn’t able to really concentrate anyways with how overwhelmed he was getting, and he was grateful that Jean was understanding of that.

His mind suddenly went blank.

He let out a sob as Jean resumed that merciless, rapid pace.  His fingers were stroking, _squeezing_ him, and all Jean had to do was flick his wrist faster to make him scream. Marco hurried to bite down on Jean’s shoulder to keep his noises down, and he continued despite it. Just the way he’d touched him without any signs of stopping or slowing down, and when he started fondling and tugging on his balls was enough to make him long gone.

Even after biting down on his shoulder, Marco ended up throwing his head back to let everything out without restraint. He cried, his voice raspy already from his loud moans. Everything was flaming hot, staggering, and existentially light. All he felt was himself coming in heavy spurts, as well as his thighs and stomach twitching and tensing. His head was foggy, and he almost didn’t want to come back down from this high.

It took him a couple minutes to finally come back to Earth. The first thing he saw was his come all over himself and Jean’s arm and stomach. Then it was the star struck, shocked expression on Jean’s face, and Marco started to realize that a few instances just happened in the span of ten minutes.

Marco had his first sexual experience with another person.

This first sexual experience was with his _best friend_ , and they’d already had a curious, experimental “relationship,” as it was.

His first orgasm that wasn’t reached on his own was the biggest, most intense one he’d ever had.

“Damn,” Jean gasped as he let go of Marco’s softening cock. “You look so incredible when you come.”

Marco hid his face briefly while he started to let out a flustered laugh. “It was the best I ever had!”

He grinned and gave him a kiss on his neck. “That’s so great, baby…”

Hearing Jean call him “baby” made it even more sentimental. He smiled widely at Jean. “It’s your turn. I wanna help you finish.”

Jean stroked his cheek with a smile. “I’d love that.”

He smiled at him and gave him a gingerly, sweet kiss. His hands were still shaking from his orgasm, but he kept it as fast as he could. Whenever he felt too shy about doing this for Jean, he just thought about what he’d do to himself alone in his room. The skills he needed for that were no different than what he was doing right now. He could hear Jean’s shaky moans and feel the way he was fucking into his hand and moved closer. As he watched his brows tense and his knuckles turn white while gripping the sheets, his thumb moved up to rub the head. He also decided to go through the slit, blushing as he touched the liquid lightly pooling out with each stroke.

“F-fuck!” Jean tensed up suddenly, which scared Marco.

He watched his expression. It was more desperate, flushed, needy, and he was looking at Marco with this pleading expression.

“Are you okay?” Marco gasped.

He quickly nodded. “D-do that again, please. I’m so close, Marco!”

He couldn’t leave Jean hanging. He gulped and kept doing that, pressing on his slit a little more firmly and hearing his moans raise higher in pitch and faster with each breath he tried to gulp in. Marco’s tongue stuck out a bit in concentration while flicking his wrist to help his hand move faster. And to his surprise, it worked!

Jean’s distance was just as impressive as Marco’s was as he came, and when Marco kept stroking him through it, that just made him whine even higher as he released more of his come. His whole body was trembling, and his face was a darker red while he was relaxing.

When Marco finally let go, they were both speechless while they were holding each other. The two of them kissed, and it was brief while they were gasping for air. With their wide eyes and plastered smiles signifying that they were both well spent, it cooled Marco’s nerves down while they shifted closer to snuggle up.

“Wow, that was… wow,” Marco giggled while panting.

“I know,” Jean grinned while kissing under his chin. “It was perfect. _You_ were perfect.”

“So were you,” he gasped while hiding his face in his hair. He gave it a kiss while running his hand through it. “But now I need another shower.”

“I need one, too,” Jean admitted and laughed.

It took a while for them to get up, but when they were finally done basking in the afterglow they forced themselves to get out of their peaceful states to clean their messy disaster.

\--

_As the nerves of September gave_ way to a cooling October, Marco was often too busy at practice to spend intimate time with Jean. But that didn’t stop them from enjoying the little things in their friendship. Well, friends don’t typically give each other hand jobs and blowjobs, and they don’t make out in cars or bedrooms. The friends with benefits thing was still going on, so far as Marco was concerned. All they’ve said to each other was that they were willing to experiment and break some barriers that friends don’t normally cross. It didn’t seem like they were going to officially classify this as a relationship, but Marco was hoping that one day they would. He was too nervous to ask Jean about it, though. His feelings for him were growing even stronger.

For now, though, he loved what they did with and to each other when no one was there to look.

Jean had always gone to each and every football game, ever since they were kids. But as their friendship was building up, it felt like more than just a mini tradition. Marco gave it a deeper meaning, especially since now he would wave to him and blow a kiss before things got heated on the football field. Of course, from the wider audience, there were mixed interpretations. People just thought that he was blowing a kiss either to a girlfriend or just all the squealing lower classmen that were fawning over him. But he had a general idea that Jean knew exactly who it was for.

He assured him that at the end of every game, when they would kiss each other in the driveway before going their separate ways to their houses.

Homecoming was a big deal at their school, so while Marco was going through high school doing his own thing, he didn’t realize exactly how involved Jean had become with it. Normally, Jean wasn’t so excited to participate in extracurricular events, but ever since his piqued interest in an art career increased and he used it as a healthier coping mechanism, he wanted to build up a small semblance of a portfolio during his senior year.

At the end of another victory game, Jean met up with him outside of the gymnasium entrance like always. Marco was so happy to see him and gave him an eager high-five.

“Marco, I’ve got some great news!”

“Me too,” Marco gasped with this huge smile on his face.

Jean laughed. “Okay, you go first.”

They were both smiling so widely. “Jean, a recruiter from Stohess was here tonight. He watched me play, and he wants to speak to me tomorrow! He already talked to my mom, and we are setting up to meet at my house! I might be able to get that scholarship!”

“Oh.” Surprised, he grinned as he hugged him. “Wow, congratulations! My good news is so minor compared to yours.”

“Who says?” Marco giggled. “C’mon, tell me!”

“Well, I decided I wanted to be a little more involved in school this year,” he started. “And I was the only one who volunteered to decorate for Homecoming. So, the Committee had no choice but to make me solely in charge of the whole thing! I can interpret the theme however I want, and I get to create a killer setup for the dance!”

“Are you kidding, Jean? That’s awesome news!” Knowing how much Jean had always struggled with fitting in and getting involved, he was so excited for him! He even picked him up in his hug, which startled Jean and made him start to laugh. “I can’t wait to see how it looks! The cafeteria is gonna look great.”

“You bet your ass, it will,” he grinned while rubbing his arm.

They were about to kiss each other when they heard the door to the gym open up to reveal hooting and hollering football players in the middle of their celebration. The couple pulled away from each other awkwardly before anyone could notice what they were doing. Marco eagerly joined in with them and held his helmet up in the air like the rest of them, chanting out cheers with the girls from the cheerleading squad.

Marco laughed as they were all planning together on going to Reiner’s summer house again for another party.

“Guys, just don’t make another mess like last time! My father was pissed!”

“Reiner, you’ve got nothing to worry about!” Their teammate Thomas slurred out in a laugh.

While they were still conversing, Marco moved away from the crowd to find Jean again. “Hey!” he grinned when he saw him and moved closer. “They’re planning on another party. You wanna go?”

“Actually…” Jean smiled while he was thinking to himself. “I was thinking that we could have a little after party of our own.”

“Oh, really?” Marco knew exactly what he was implying. He blushed and nodded quickly. “I would much rather do that, honestly.” He started to laugh. “Your place or mine?”

“Hmm…” Jean grinned. “How about your car?”

His eyes widened. “Oh. M-my car? Where would we even park it?”

Jean grinned. “How about in Pine Beach? The beach is long closed by now. No one will be there.”

The whole idea of this was already thrilling to him. Marco quickly nodded and took him over to his car. “I’m going home, guys! See you at practice!”

“Alright, party pooper,” Reiner whined as they all went to head down to Seaside.

The couple went the opposite direction.

Their little spot in the parking lot was secluded away from the rest of the residential area. There wasn’t a single car in the lot or boat on the bay. They were completely alone.

Marco stopped the engine but kept the music in the car playing at a low volume. As soon as he took his seatbelt off, Jean was on him. He didn’t even have to tell him that he was ready to go. Their bodies were doing the work for them, pulling on each other’s jackets as they guided each other to the back seat.

Jean’s kisses felt like fire on Marco’s lips, and it was a firm reminder that what they were going to experience next would be heightened with passion. The lip ring was tangy, but he didn’t mind the taste as he was teasing it with his tongue.

In response, the blonde let out a breathy laugh, tapering into a moan. “You’re getting really good at that,” he purred and tugged his varsity jacket off.

Marco smiled while giving him another kiss. “Are you sure you don’t wanna wait until we get back to our houses? I might be pretty smelly.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he smiled. “Tonight, I’m going to try something new.”

“Like what?” His brow was rising up when Jean reached in the glove compartment. He’d pulled out that lube bottle they used when giving each other hand jobs. That was no different than what they were used to doing, so he really didn’t get what he was implying.

“You’ll see,” he grinned as they were both undressing further. “You’re gonna love it.”

“Okay,” Marco chuckled as they kissed again. Jean stayed knelt down on the floor, and while their kiss grew deeper he was able to arrange their positions. Marco was completely naked while Jean only had his pants down and his dick pulled out from within his boxers. He used the light from a nearby street lamp to judge what exactly he was doing.

As Jesse Lacey belted out his magic through the stereo, Jean was able to situate their positions. Marco was sprawled out all over the back seat. His head was resting back while his legs were spread wide and bent back. And Marco had absolutely no idea what to do with himself. He was letting the more experienced one lead the way. Clearly, he wasn’t as savvy.

Jean poured a generous amount of lube on his fingers. In the meantime, he left kisses along Marco’s cock, which had been twitching with anticipation since he’d started watching Jean’s handiwork.

While he began to moan, he’d briefly noticed that Jean was only putting the lube on his fingers instead of his whole hand. That was unusual to him, and he didn’t really put two and two together just yet. He was just too busy thinking about how teasing Jean was with his tongue. His legs were shaking for it.

“Jean?” he gasped and panted while trying to push his hips up. It was a little hard to in this position. “What are you waiting for, baby?” he giggled. “I-I want you so badly, I—huh? _Ah!”_

The interjection was caused by a sudden intrusion further down between his legs. Jean’s slicked, hot fingers were right over his asshole. He kept rubbing over the rim, and he had a grip on his thigh that wouldn’t give way.

“J-Jean?” He whimpered and looked at him. “Jean, I’m nervous! W-we haven’t…”

“I know, I know,” he hummed and looked up at him. “We won’t go all the way tonight, okay? I wouldn’t even dream of making you feel uncomfortable, Marco.”

“Y-yeah…” he panted and started thinking about it. “I mean, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t imagine this.” He blushed more. “I just don’t want it to hurt.”

“If you feel too uncomfortable in any way, lemme know,” Jean assured him and kissed along his thigh. There were red marks where he’d gripped him. “Besides, if it turns out you don’t like it, we can stop, and we won’t do it again. Okay?”

Marco didn’t have to think about it long. He gave a shy nod. “Okay… I trust you.”

“Good,” he grinned and started to rub his entrance again.

Just the way his fingertips were rubbing up against him made Marco whine. Deep down, this nagging feeling of wanting to be filled was rising up from his groin to his mind. It was painting mental images for him, just to anticipate what he was going to go through. He knew that he had to work towards what he really wants, and he started to push his hips down.

“Ooo, I don’t think so,” Jean tutted and moved his fingers away. He was just about to test the waters, too.

“Nononono, no, _please,_ ” he whimpered and shook in need. “Please? I-I want it, Jean!”

It sounded so foreign to Marco’s ears for him to say aloud that he basically wanted to be fucked in the ass. It was an awkward revelation, as well, but he wanted to go along with it full-heartedly.

Jean didn’t continue until his hips officially stopped twitching. He made sure his fingers were completely slicked before the first finger was inserted.

The feeling of first being breached was awkward and almost burning. Marco covered his mouth quickly while his toes curled. It didn’t really hurt that much, but it was still so strange! If he felt this way with only one, he couldn’t imagine what would happen if he put more inside him. What would he do if Jean wanted to put his _cock_ in him in the future?

“Relax…” Jean’s voice gave him some clarity. “Keep still, okay? And breathe.”

“Uh-huh,” he panted and kept his eyes tightly shut. He already felt so full! He didn’t think he could take it.

The music soothed his anxiety and kept it at bay when Jean reached behind himself to turn it up more. The album they’d listened to on repeat ever since it came out was playing in his ears now, calming him temporarily. He barely noticed when his finger had started to move.

The next thing he’d known was that the burning sensation was fading and being replaced with a tender kind of pleasure. It made him let out a low moan, his whole face relaxing.

“There we go…”

Jean’s sultry voice suddenly coating the air with honey made Marco shiver. He was so sweet with him. He didn’t treat his family members or anyone else at school with the same care and tenderness. Only him. It made Marco feel so special, especially since Jean seemed to know exactly what he wanted the whole time.

“Very good,” he crooned and started leaving kisses on his cock again. “Ready for another one?”

Marco’s breath hitched as he felt his finger thrust up a bit faster, going knuckle deep. He didn’t even know if it was possible for him to take another one, but he sure as hell wanted to try it. He gave a shaky nod. “Y-yes.” He looked down at Jean, flustered that his entire body was completely spread out and exposed to him.

He felt the one finger slide out and whined at the loss, and he could feel the tip just sitting right inside. He took a deep breath when watching Jean look so focused on between his legs. It made him feel a little more exposed than he already was. Then he suddenly felt the second fingertip going in right alongside the first. It was stretching him, the two of them slowly making a scissoring motion inside him to loosen him up. He bit down hard on his lip.

“O-oh my god,” he gasped out, his legs shaking.

“It’s alright,” he crooned and leaned up to kiss his stomach. “You’re doing so great. You should see how well you’re taking my fingers. You look perfect.”

He _whined_ and felt the fingers go deeper. They were pumping and thrusting, and the squelch from the lube that he heard alongside everything else was flustering to listen to. Just like when he was only taking one finger, he eventually was adjusting to having two. He had this impulse he wanted to carry out in the back of his mind. He wanted to rock down. He wanted more of his fingers inside him, but he knew he had to take it one step at a time. It was getting agonizing, just waiting for his body to be able to take it.

Jean had been scissoring and loosening him for another moment, just allowing him to get used to it. But Marco was sweating more and his toes were curling tighter, his hair disheveled while he was writhing there. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to beg again. That felt so weird! But he was starting to feel like in order for Jean to realize how urgently he’d wanted it, he would have to sooner or later.

“Ohhh, _fuck_ ,” he gasped and whimpered. “Jean, p-please. I want more.”

It felt a little less weird to beg this time around.

“Oh, of course,” Jean smirked, and it was like Marco turned a switch on.

All of a sudden, his fingers went from gentle and experimental to a gradually rapid, pounding pace. Marco gasped on another, louder moan, and his thighs shook with the urge to close his legs from how intense it suddenly got.

Jean gratefully pushed one of his hips to keep it back, and Marco was able to fully enjoy the pleasure. His two fingers were rocking his world! They were moving so fast and so much deeper than he expected!

“Ahh, yes!” he whined. And yet he wanted even more.

It was over when Jean repeated the process to add another finger. Having three inside him with that scissoring motion made him feel like he was suddenly going to split. But he _loved_ that sudden burn. His fingers were so good! He wasn’t scared or nervous anymore. He fully trusted Jean to take care of him.

Jean had briefly taken his fingers out again to pour more lube onto them. Good thing, too, because it was starting to feel a little uncomfortable trying to push three of those little bastards deep inside him. But after that second coating, Marco was gone once again.

His throat started to burn from how loud his moans were getting. He was drowning the music out, just focused on getting his fingers inside him as much as possible.

“ _Yes,_ Jean, oh my god! Yes!” He kept repeating this mantra with this whine tinged into his voice. Soon, Jean no longer restrained him from moving his hips to meet his fingers. Now, he was fully capable of taking it harder.

He did just that. Marco gripped onto the fabric of the seats on either side of him and started to push _down_. His ass rocked hard onto them, meeting halfway and making them go even further into him. The way they suddenly curled forward in a beckoning motion made him see white.

“Oh, FUCK!” Marco screamed. “Pleaseplease _please,_ right _there!_ I need it!”

Jean had started jerking himself in the meantime, and Marco could hear the slapping of his fist while he felt those three amazing, hot fingers start to knead in deep and rub hard against his prostate. Just like when he’d gotten his first hand job, all of a sudden pre-come started to spurt out as he was getting closer. It made Marco cry out and turn into even more of a flustered mess.

Jean smirked. Marco _loved_ what Jean was giving to him, and he was realizing that he definitely got the idea. He continued to increase his intensity as best as he could while also bringing himself closer to his own orgasm.

“J-Jean, Jean I’m gonna come!” He sobbed while panting hard. It was getting too hot, and he didn’t know what to do with himself as his legs were shaking even harder. “I-I’m… ohhh my god, Jean!”

“C’mon, baby,” he groaned and kept it up, and he leaned in to tease his cock with his lips and his tongue again. This time he was completely covering the tip in sucks and kisses, hoping to give him exactly what he wanted to help him reach the climax.

When it came, Marco was powerless, completely taken over by Jean while he was crying and whimpering his name. He barely heard when Jean came as well. He was just too focused on chasing the remains of his own orgasm. As it went away and he came down from his high, was starting to get assaulted with sudden thoughts and anxieties.

He never expected to be on the receiving end with sex, but he honestly didn’t mind that. He loved being pampered and being given pleasure more than the thought of trying to give pleasure to someone himself. It gave him a chance to relax in his usually extremely active, hectic life. But what he really wasn’t used to and was uncomfortable with was the vulnerability he felt being with Jean like this. He trusted Jean to take care of him, but it still was a scary feeling.

Marco felt the fingers pull out, and he was realizing that there were mixed signals. This was definitely turning into something much more than a seemingly casual, no-strings-attached friendship. At least, to him it was. He kept his head down and watched himself go soft. He was still shaking all over.

“…Hey, what’s wrong?”

He looked up when hearing Jean’s voice. He suddenly got really scared. He didn’t know if he could take hearing that this wasn’t a real relationship. “Jean… where is this going?”

“What do you mean?” he asked gently.

“W-we’ve gotta be more than friends, right?” he whimpered. “Friends don’t just finger bang friends, just because. You can’t just pretend like nothing happened when you’re fingering your best friend.”

Jean let out a gasp and moved up. “What are you talking about? This can go as far as you want it to. You shouldn’t feel like you’re being forced.”

“I’m not forced, it’s just…” Marco wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry. This has nothing to do with you. I-I don’t really like the idea of us being friends with benefits.”

“Wait, huh?”

“I can’t do it like this. I don’t want it like this. I need some time to think… I’m so sorry.”

Jean was hurt. He could tell that he was. He felt terrible for it, but he didn’t know what to do. He’d had feelings for him that were growing, but it was a lot easier to picture being together in his head. Plus, he was so busy with football, and they never went on any dates. Sure, they knew a lot about each other without playing any guessing games. But friendships almost never moved forward to the next level. This was something he needed to process alone, where his head could be a little clearer and he could think straight.

He grabbed his clothes and started to redress. “Let’s go home. It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah…” Jean sounded so sad.

While worrying on his lip, Marco did all the driving. It took a bit of shifting to get comfortable sitting down, but it was manageable. He was concerned about Jean, though. He didn’t want to end things with him, not all. He just wanted to figure everything out on his own. He wanted to assess his feelings and make sure that this was something that he wanted. He also didn’t want Jean to feel suppressed because while he was pretty open about his sexuality, Marco was still closeted. He figured Jean would understand.

When pulling into the driveway, Marco looked over to tell him good night, but Jean already was out of the car and walking to his front porch. He sat there in the driver seat for a while, just staring hauntingly at the Kirschtein’s front door.

He felt so sick.

\--

_Trying to figure things out on_ his own turned out to be difficult. He became anxious about several different aspects of the pending relationship, as well as how people around him would be able to interpret it.

During his meeting with the recruiter, he kept stumbling over his words and was unable to concentrate on what they were trying to talk about. His mother was concerned for his well-being, but he didn’t have it in him to tell her what was wrong. Despite this, the recruiter did say that he wished him the best of luck, and that he was looking forward to the possibility of him playing for the Stohess University Titans next year.

Jean was constantly in his dreams and fantasies, just like he’d always been. But recently there had been a much harder tug at his heart than anticipated. He longed for him, and he missed his touches and kisses after days of keeping to himself to think. But what else could he possibly think about?

He was in love. He realized that now. He loved Jean so much that it ached, and the scariest part was worrying about Jean not feeling the same way that he did. After all, he just went up and left him so suddenly. He may have even broken his heart, for all he knew. He had to factor that in, and it hurt him so much. What would he do if he didn’t want to go further into the relationship? He tried keeping optimistic, but paranoia was eating him alive!

He felt so selfish, but another part of him was considering the possibilities of what would happen if he came out. He hated keeping something that was so natural a secret to the rest of the world. This was a huge part of him! But regardless, he still couldn’t keep himself from worrying. What would his mother think? He’d been her rock for several years, after his father left them behind. Would she not look at him or love him the same way if she knew this truth about him?

He debated over this for several hours, but there was an easy answer to this seemingly difficult question. No. No, she wouldn’t. She _couldn’t_ just suddenly change her opinion of him. He knew there were situations that didn’t end as happily as it did in his fantasy, but he trusted his mother. He just had to get the words out of his head and say them aloud. That was the hardest part.

What about the fans? There were so many girls at school that cheered him on at the games and screamed for him to keep going and that he could beat the entire opposing team by himself, if he could. Not that he was concerned about the opinions of strangers, but just knowing that diehard fans of the team, like alumni and other team parents, could instantly think negatively of him was scary.

The Year of Marco was suddenly becoming a little less exciting and more anxiety-inducing. He didn’t want the last year of school to be the year that he felt like everyone was turning his back on him.

He listened to music in his room while trying not to cry too hard because he was having dinner in an hour or so. He didn’t want to be hated. He knew that there were going to be people that would think of him differently and want him off the football team, and he knew that their opinions shouldn’t matter and that he shouldn’t care about that, but that didn’t make the situation any less terrifying. It was just the _idea_ alone that really did it for him.

He thought about Jean again. What if he didn’t want the two of them to be boyfriends? He didn’t know what he’d do! Well, Marco understood that he implied that he wanted the friends with benefits, experimenting, or whatever they were going to actually call it to be over. But he didn’t want the friendship itself to end altogether. He hoped Jean didn’t think that. He felt terrible!

Jean wouldn’t want their friendship to end either, right?

He needed to stop feeling so selfish, and he needed to talk to his friend. He regretted ending it so abruptly when he did. He didn’t know what to say or how else to word it. But every time he tried to talk to him in school, he barely acknowledged him or wanted anything really to do with him. He’d always go in the other direction or pretend he didn’t notice he was there despite looking _right_ at him.

Marco hoped that Jean realized that he had strong feelings for him, but he understood that people couldn’t read his mind. He was trying not to overthink things, but he was already off the deep end. He just wanted to talk to him so badly, and he was going to try and officially clear things up.

\--

_When he knocked on the front_ door, Jean’s mother answered almost instantly. Marco saw the look of confusion, and his heart jumped right up to his throat.

“Hi, Mrs. Kirschtein… is Jean home?” he asked nervously.

“Yes, he is,” she said slowly. “But… I honestly didn’t expect you to come over. He told me that you didn’t want to see him anymore.”

He really thought that? Marco felt so guilty! “No, that’s not true. I just needed some time to…” He didn’t want to relay everything to Jean’s mother. That would be incredibly embarrassing! “I want to see him. I still wanna be his friend. I-I actually want to be… more than that,” he added shakily.

He didn’t like the silence that followed his statement. He felt so worried about saying that out loud, but Mrs. Kirschtein looked very pleased.

“I couldn’t imagine anyone else being with my son,” she admitted and smiled. “I can go get him.”

He gulped. “I just wanted to give this to him,” he mumbled shyly. He showed her a ticket. “It’s for the Homecoming Dance. I want him to come with me. After all, he’s decorating the whole thing, so he should be able to go and see how everyone likes his art.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” she grinned. “I’ll go get him.”

Marco watched her nervously and stood by the door. He fidgeted in place, thinking too feverishly about the different possibilities that would take place if he gave the ticket to him. He could say yes, but he could also say no. It was driving him nuts! He didn’t like this feeling of suspense. He heard them upstairs raising their voices and felt uncomfortable. He wanted to flee, but he still stood his ground. He wanted Jean to know that he honest-to-god wanted him, without any pauses or attempts to downplay his true feelings. He had to.

Jean came downstairs and sighed when he saw him. It made Marco really nervous, especially when he saw his fake ass smile that he remembered seeing on his face during junior year.

“Well, well… if it isn’t the great superstar,” he hummed and stepped out of the house so that his mother could leave the two of them alone. “What brings you here?”

He swallowed thickly. “I’ve come to apologize. I’m… really, truly sorry, for the way I acted after that night. I shouldn’t have harshly ended it like that. I-I didn’t mean that I wanted our friendship to end. I just didn’t want us to be friends with benefits anymore.”

Jean had his head down after he started talking. Marco was more nervous, now that he couldn’t see his reactions.

“I could understand that,” Jean mumbled. “Not everyone likes that type of stuff. And if you cared about sentimentality and didn’t want that in the first place, you should’ve said something.”

“But I did want it at the time.” He didn’t like crying, but he could feel tears forming in his eyes. “I wanted to be with you without… _being_ with you. I thought that was what you might have wanted. And I was so selfish. All I really wanted was you… I wanted your kisses, your touches, and I wanted your body without the baggage of a relationship. It didn’t help that I figured you wouldn’t want any commitments because of what you were going through.”

“You really are selfish,” Jean laughed dryly. “So was it all just an experiment to you? Did you wanna just try me out to see if you were gay or not?”

“No!” He cried. He knew he was completely in the wrong, but that was a low accusation. “That’s not it at all. I was afraid of us getting hurt.”

“Yeah, mission failed,” he muttered before trying to go back inside.

Marco quickly grabbed his arm. “Please! Don’t go yet, I’m not done!” he whimpered. He was an absolute mess. He was grateful though that he was still willing to listen. “I-I realized that I had stronger feelings for you than just a fling. I want to be open. I want to hold your hand in public and have people _completely_ be spot on with their prediction of us being a couple. And I didn’t want to be selfish anymore. I wanted to think about _us,_ and what _we_ wanted, not just what I wanted. I played with you, and I’m really sorry. But I’m done fooling around. A-and I’m done hiding.”

Jean didn’t say anything. That was worse than any negative reaction he could get from him. He sniffled and wiped his watery eyes, his voice breaking within his sobs.

“I’m sorry… I was stupid to think those things. And I didn’t mean to hurt you. I know you probably don’t want to do anything with me, like a relationship and all that, but can we still be friends?”

His hair was in his face, so he couldn’t see what was going on or how he was feeling. It was devastating. Jean said nothing and went to go back inside.

“Please… one more thing.” He sniffled and then slid the ticket into his hand. “I was going to ask you to come with me, a-as my date. But I understand that you probably don’t want me anymore. That’s fine. You should still be able to enjoy the dance. After all, you’re the one that’s decorating all of it, and you’re allowed to boast about it.” He sighed and stepped back. “That’s it. I’m done now.”

Marco felt like his heart was being torn into a million pieces, but this was what he deserved. All he could do now was try and get through the football season by himself. He didn’t even notice that Jean tried following him. He was too upset to notice.

\--

_Marco didn’t see Jean again until_ just a couple days before the Homecoming Game. He’d been practicing relentlessly, both on and off the field. Most of that time was spent just trying to keep intrusive thoughts from returning. Both heartbroken and regretful, he was trying to keep those feelings at bay so that he could focus on his performance for the games ahead. And the Homecoming game this year was extremely important, for it was against their rival school.

Every day he passed by Jean’s locker, hoping that he would be able to see him, but he had no such luck. That was, until today. He was lingering there, and Marco was hoping that he wouldn’t move away this time if he tried to talk to him.

“Jean?” He moved up and felt relieved when he didn’t leave instantly this time. “Hey…”

Jean didn’t have that fake smile anymore, or any smile really. Marco’s heart ached, and it hurt knowing that he was the one that did this to him. He wished he could tell him right away, _Yes, I really want to keep seeing you. I’m so sorry, Jean. I love you so much!_ The impulse was like a terrible pull, but he ignored it to the best of his ability.

“Hey, Marco. Ready for the big game?”

He nodded and gulped. “Are you going to the dance?”

Jean nodded. “Yeah. I wanna make sure no one messes with the way the cafeteria looks if I’m not there.”

Marco noticed that he still looked really sad, and he hated that. “How did it go? T-the decorating, I mean.”

“You’ll see it today at lunch,” he insisted.

He nodded. “I can’t wait. And Jean? Can you come home with me in my car today? I-I wanna talk to you. Please?”

These pauses were killing him! “Yeah. I’ll come. You did apologize, and now it’s my turn to admit that I was being an ass. After all, you bought me a ticket to a dance, and I didn’t even thank you.”

“You’re not just saying that because your mom yelled at you for your attitude, are you?”

He supposed Jean didn’t expect that response. He let out a snort that made Marco giggle, but he tried losing his smile as soon as it came up. He wasn’t sure if Jean would find that reaction funny. “I’m not telling,” he hummed. “Anyways, I’ll see you after school. Sound good?”  

Marco blushed and nodded as he fiddled with his fingers. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

They both left each other with a mutual understanding that things were going to be looking up from now on. All they both needed was time. And they also needed to realize that they shouldn’t jump into conclusions so quickly, but that revelation would come further down the road.

At lunch, Marco went into the cafeteria to see Jean’s handiwork. He’d done the whole room all by himself, and his creative freedom showed in each corner of it! He’d chosen a boardwalk type theme, with everything looking abandoned but aesthetically pleasing, as it always looked when all the rides and parks were closed after summertime. And there was a backdrop of such a pretty, hand-painted sunset sky. Everything about it was wonderful!

It reminded him of the night they had their first kiss. He felt so nostalgic, thinking about all their intimate, romantic, and experimental encounters over the past month. He had no doubt in his mind anymore. He wished he could kiss Jean right then and there!

Marco loved him so much, and he was starting to get the feeling that maybe Jean really did feel the same way.

\--

_“So, what did you think of_ the cafeteria?”

The first couple minutes of the ride were quiet and awkward, with only the music breaking the silence. But when they found their right footing, they were able to slowly reconcile. Small talk turned into curiosity, and their friendship started to blossom again. Holes were being patched, and misunderstandings were being debunked. They both made it perfectly clear to each other that being away from each other was _agony_ , and they both truly missed each other.

“What did I think?” Marco asked as he was driving. “I thought it looked incredible! Anyone that thinks otherwise obviously has no taste.”

Jean smiled and turned the volume up a bit on the stereo. “I’m glad you thought that. And surprisingly enough, there are other people in the school that like it, too. Like, a lot,” he chuckled. “Some of the preps even went up to me to comment on how nice it looked. Of course they had to add a backhanded punchline, like ‘I wouldn’t have expected something like this from you,’ but I’ll take it.”

“Who said that?” he gasped. “I will fight!”

“Who _hasn’t_ said that, Marco?”

Marco looked over to see him shrug before going back to driving. “Well, I never did.”

He heard him chuckle, and a genuine smile grew on his face.

“No, you haven’t,” he chuckled.

Marco stopped at the beach parking lot again, where they were their last night together. He left the music playing and turned to Jean after putting the car in park. “Have you been… okay? I can’t stress enough how horrible I feel for making you feel that way. And I promise, I’ll never be so selfish again.”

“You don’t have to ramble. I’m okay now,” he assured him sweetly. “I truly was upset for a while, but all is well now. I know you were being sincere.”

“I’m so sorry.” Marco bit his lip. “I-I really needed to think things over, and to do that I needed some time alone. I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t want anything to do with you. That couldn’t be any further from the truth.”

He saw him blush, and he took Marco’s hand. “I know that now. And I’m sorry that I ever doubted you.” He gently touched his fingers in his grasp. “So, you’ve come to a decision? With no bias or pressure?”

“Yes. Isn’t it obvious?” He was genuinely sure of himself. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind. And now that Jean had forgiven him, he felt so much better. “I thought long and hard about where our friendship could be going. I know I made it seem like it was negative because I stopped so abruptly, but I wanna let you know that I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want to. You’re not only my best friend, but you are the most amazing lover I could ever have the honor of being with. There is no one else I would rather be with. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jean diverted his eyes while he was listening. But Marco could see in the blush growing on his face that he liked what he was hearing. “You’re making me blush, Superstar.”

Hearing his nickname coming from his mouth was all the reassurance he needed.

“Good,” he giggled and took his face in his hands. “You keep me grounded, Jean. This means more to me than just a tiny flame. We’d been through everything together. I feel more than confident to say that I don’t just like you. I _love_ you.”

Hearing himself say it out loud faltered his confidence a little bit. Especially when Jean’s eyes went wide. Was it… a good wide-eyed stare, or a bad one? He didn’t know in that moment. “…You do?”

He gasped and nodded insistently.

His lips quirked up again in that smile Marco loved. “Wow…”

His heart stopped. He didn’t want to jump into any conclusions. Why wasn’t he answering right away?

“Me too.” Jean suddenly spoke while looking flushed in the face. “I-I mean, I love you. I’ve had feelings for you… probably since eighth grade. And you helped me pull out of one of the…no, _the_ darkest moment of my life. You’ve always meant so much to me. And I wanted something more, too, not just the friends with benefits. And although we had that really bumpy patch, it’s just… _so_ relieving to hear you say that, Marco. You have no idea.”

Marco officially turned the engine off after sitting there speechless. “N-not only that, but I don’t want to be afraid anymore. With you by my side, I feel like I can do anything. I want to be honest with everyone, and I want to be open. With you…”

They pressed their foreheads together, and Marco hummed while Jean was kissing his fingers.

“I’m here for you, every step of the way,” he smiled. “You’re my superstar.”

Marco could feel his eyes watering. All he felt was this elated bliss mixed with pure hope. He held him tighter and pulled him in for another one of those breathtaking kisses. Oh, how he missed them! The way his lips locked against his and how the piercing felt… he would never, ever get tired of this.

This time, these kisses felt like fire. There was a passion igniting immediately. Maybe it was because they’d been apart for so long. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, even as they heard the start of a rainstorm pounding against the roof of the car. If anything, that made them more focused.

Marco whined as he suddenly felt Jean’s hand rub his crotch. He quickly tried pushing his hips up. Thankfully his hand grew firmer, adding to the friction. He tried spreading his legs out best he could.

He whined as his pants were undone. He held his arm while pulling away from their kiss. “Let’s go… in the back,” he panted.

“Yeah.” Jean led the way while pulling his pants down. While he tried getting adjusted in the seat, he stumbled and fell.

Marco started to laugh when he watched the display. He moved closer to help him. “Are you okay?”

While Jean nodded, they both laughed together while their lips connected again. They kept undressing each other’s lower halves, keeping their shirts and jackets on to avoid the possibility of looking suspicious to anyone that would god forbid pass by.

Marco was on his knees at first just touching Jean’s skin underneath his shirt. He then looked at his legs, getting an anxious feeling. His worries began to evade, seeing no new cuts or marks. His heart soared, and he looked up at him with this excited smile.

“I’m so proud of you, Jean,” he hummed and started leaving kisses over the old scars. “Your progress is amazing. Look at you, so strong and incredible.”

“M-Marco…” Jean whined while threading his fingers through his hair.

“Don’t cry, Jean, my darling…” He blushed as he called him that, and he continued with his kisses. “I love you. You’re so amazing.”

The soft sigh that Jean emitted when Marco started leaving more kisses up his cock were enticing, and he continued running his tongue along the shaft while maintaining eye contact. His cheeks turned red while holding it in his hand and stroking it.

He didn’t have too much time to tease Jean, though. He’d pulled him up onto his lap and started leaving kisses on his neck. Marco loved every fleeting touch of affection that he was given. He’d been self-conscious before about feeling vulnerable, but now he was willing to give it a chance. He let himself go, stroking his hair while they both rocked together in each other’s laps.

He gasped and moaned, and Jean’s fingers started feeling hotter while stroking his skin. He felt kisses along his freckles and through each dip of his muscles. Each one wrung out a new gasp, hum, and even a giggle or two. It felt to great to be loved and feel love tickling him all over his body.

“Jean,” he gasped out on more giggles while his kisses were starting to get more teasing than firm. “Jean, I want you.”

“Oh, I want you, too,” he murmured against his skin. “So badly, Marco…”

He grinned and held his head. He nuzzled his hair while his hands trailed down his back. “I wanna try something different.”

“You know how well it ended the last time we tried something different?” Jean teased.

He laughed while shifting back. “I-I saw something on the Internet… about someone on this forum that had sex while rubbing… rubbing his dick between the other guy’s thighs.” He felt so embarrassed trying to repeat it. “I want us to try that.”

Jean smirked. “Yeah… let’s try it.” He ran his hands over his thighs. “I already am dying to know how it feels.”

“M-me too,” he stammered and giggled. “I still have the lube in the car from the last time we were in here.”

“Perfect,” Jean hummed while he grabbed the bottle. As he started to pour it on his hand and stroke himself to slick his cock up, Marco was getting ready by turning so his back was facing him. He was really shy about being exposed like this, but he was letting himself go today.

Marco spread his thighs out a bit and grabbed onto the arm rests of the seats in front of him. He tried making sure he wasn’t too visible through the windows. He saw the rain pattering, and he reached over to turn the music up. He grinned while feeling Jean give his cock several quick strokes. He tried rocking into it and gasped, feeling the tip of Jean’s girth brush right up against his ass. He immediately became apprehensive.

Jean then gently pressed down on his back. “It’s okay, it’s okay…” he crooned while kissing up his spine. “You’re okay, baby.”

As Marco was shuddering, he relaxed underneath him. He trusted Jean. He knew he wouldn’t do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. He resumed his position and shuddered as he felt his hands on his hips. He was eagerly shaking for it, and he tried bracing himself for it.

“Ready, Marco?”

As he heard Jean, he eagerly nodded while blushing. “Mmm yes…”

Jean’s dick felt strange going right between his thighs. He felt him shudder above him, and the slickness from the lube was dizzying. He’d positioned himself right smack dab by his perineum and just dusting passed his balls. The jolts of pleasure it caused made him start to moan.

“H-holy shit,” he gasped and tried to rock his hips already. It was teasing him so badly!

“Hang on, wait for me,” Jean chuckled and tugged gently on his ear with his teeth.

When he started to thrust, Marco’s breath was hitching at feeling the friction. The way he’d rubbed up against him gave him _more_ than enough pleasure. It was much better than he expected! The lube made it ten times better, too.

“Wow, baby,” Jean gasped and held Marco’s thighs tighter together. He kept going faster and faster, too. “This is so hot.”

“I-I know!” Marco whimpered out. His fingers curled deep in the fabric. He was shaking for it so much, and he couldn’t even begin to imagine how he would feel when Jean would actually put it _inside_ him instead of between his thighs like this.

His hips smacked against his ass with each hard stroke, and it didn’t help that Marco kept trying to ride right back. How was Jean so _good_ at making him fall apart? He didn’t hold back, either. He moaned and cried for it, sweat beading down from his forehead while his hair became a little less put together.

And Jean’s kisses were irresistible! Despite how had they were going at it, he was so tender with his lips brushing against his shoulder blades. He felt himself tighten up more when Jean suddenly took his dick in his hand. As he still was fucking his thighs, he stroked him and _teased_ the tip. He’d been hearing Jean’s quiet moans escaping through his kisses the whole time, but as he was shaking more above Marco he heard him whine.

Marco was making him feel this way! He was making him whimper and whine, and he couldn’t be any more excited, even if he tried.

“Jean—y-you’re so good!” he cried after moments of just _moaning,_ because that was all he could do out loud. “You feel so good like this. I-I can’t wait until we fuck, baby. You’re amazing!”

“S-shit!” Jean interjecting made him shiver. “You’re gonna make me come—if you keep talking like that, Superstar.”

The pace grew even harder, and Marco was silently begging for more. He was lost to the feeling of his lover fucking his thighs until the skin was growing raw, and the slickness only helped so much to stimulate him. Now he was sure that he needed more, but he knew Jean was close. He reached behind himself to grip his shoulder.

Marco tried turning his head and whimpered as he squeezed his thighs together again. “L-let go for me, Jean,” he panted, shaking with need. “Please, baby. I love you so, so much!”

He felt his hips smack against him harder, and he jolted back each time. It didn’t take long. Jean was gripping him tightly and digging his nails into his tender skin, coming on a low whine that was muffled by Marco’s hair. He felt Jean’s kisses and his hot breath, and he felt so proud of himself that he made Jean come just by _talking_ to him!

Jean pulled away and guided him to sit on his lap. Marco felt so blissful feeling his kisses on his neck and shoulder, and he leaned further into him. He was still painfully aroused, and he felt the ache of loss and lack of attention. He turned to face Jean and gave him a kiss, a silent plea.

He was so grateful that Jean spoke his language. To keep the delay from getting too long, he slid his hand right down the front of his body to his throbbing cock. His strokes were tight and _so_ fast, that it was making Marco gulp for air. His moans quickly morphed into desperate whines and pleas for “ _More, more!”_ The endless mantra flowed from his lips, and even when he was practically _dripping_ with pre-come and slicking himself further underneath Jean’s hand, there wasn’t a single pause. In fact, he was being guided even closer, with Jean’s free hand running up his shirt to palm at his toned chest.

“J—!” He choked while trying to say his name. Another powerful spasm of pleasure brought him closer to his orgasm, and it didn’t help that Jean started to pinch and tweak one of his nipples from underneath his shirt. “J-Jean, I’m… gonna come!”

No words were needed. It was barely seconds after he said that when Jean continued to quicken his pace. He was coming in no time at all. It wasn’t as hard or powerful as some of his previous ones were, but that was perfectly fine by him. He enjoyed this as much as any time they were together. Maybe he enjoyed it even more so, realizing that the two of them definitely were a couple.

The CD just about ended when they leaned close and kissed each other lovingly. They wanted a few moments of peace before reality would strike them and they had to continue on with their lives. The rain was still hammering down, and Marco started to shiver from the cold.

“Let’s go home,” Jean hummed against his lips. He leaned down to grab his clothes.

Meanwhile Marco was just so embarrassed when realizing the mess the two of them made in his car. “I have no idea how we’re gonna clean this up.”

They both nervously laughed together while getting dressed.

“Maybe no one will notice?” Jean shrugged while they situated themselves in the front seat.

“No one will notice,” Marco snorted sarcastically while he drove them back home.

At every red light on the way home, the two of them held hands while the next CD was playing their newest anthems on the stereo. Marco was so at peace, and so in love. And the greatest feeling was knowing that Jean was, as well.

\--

_The couple was lying down in_ their boxers while looking at the latest Youtube crazes on Jean’s phone. They were laughing as they watched Charlie bite his brother’s finger for the fifth time. That was after experiencing the horror simply known as the “car video,” so they needed something light-hearted.

“That never gets old,” Marco giggled while snuggling up against Jean.

“The weirdest things amuse you, babe,” Jean murmured as Nick at Nite came on after Spongebob. He groaned as he tried reaching for the remote. “I can’t reach.”

“Me neither,” he huffed and looked up at him. “And I just wanna stay here like this.”

“Yeah?” Jean grinned and gave him a kiss. “Me too.”

As Marco was relaxing after seeing those videos, a thought popped into his mind that he had stored a way for a long while. He was thinking about coming out. He wanted to open up to everyone. This was the real him, and this side of him was what he wanted everyone else to see about him, as well. He didn’t want to hide anymore.

“Hey Jean… you said you were scared to come out,” he said softly. “What actually happened after you did it? You never told me.”

Jean sighed. “My dad was upset for a while. Like, a few weeks. My mom tried knocking some sense into him, and it took a long time for him to come back around. I still feel like he doesn’t really understand me, or he looks at me so much differently because of it. But I feel better knowing that it’s not secret kept from them anymore. That part of it was relieving, even if the reaction was mixed.”

Marco rubbed his chest while he spoke and gave him a reassuring kiss on his cheek. “And you’ve started getting much better since then, too.” He took his hand and intertwined their fingers. “I want to tell my mom. And the team… I wanna tell everyone.”

“Take it in strides, Superstar,” he chuckled and looped an arm around him. “Don’t force yourself out because of me… I don’t mind if you wanna stay in the closet while we’re just starting out.”

“Don’t worry. I really want this. I’m really proud that I’m gay. I want everyone else to know that.”

They shared a smile and another sweet kiss. Marco then got up from his bed and started to put his clothes back on. Jean followed suit.

“I wanna tell my mom about our relationship, too,” he hummed. “Is that okay?”

“Of course,” he grinned and nuzzled his hair. “I mean, my parents know already. And besides, I’m right here for you, even if anything were to happen.”

Marco took an anxious deep breath and nodded. He held his hand and hurried down the hall. “Hey, Mom?”

She looked up from the kitchen table while she’d been skimming through paperwork. “Hi, boys. Marco, did you fill your application out for Stohess yet? We should get that mailed out by next Monday.”

“Yes, I did,” he insisted. “I finished it yesterday.”

“Very good.” She sat back and watched the two of them.

Marco gave her this bright smile. “Not to get off topic from college applications so suddenly, but I have an announcement to make.” When she didn’t respond right away, he gulped and squeezed Jean’s hand. “Jean and I are…together. We decided to start dating.”

He wasn’t scared about being this forward with his mother. He knew that she didn’t like when he’d beat around the bush. Probably the one thing that was a little nerve-wracking was having the guts to actually say what he just did aloud. He watched her and started to worry on his lip.

“Oh… you are?” she gasped. “Well, that’s wonderful!”

“I-it is?” Marco knew she wasn’t going to be upset with him, but he didn’t think that she would react like _this._ It threw him through a loop! “I mean, yes! Yes, it is!” He giggled and moved closer to Jean while he felt him wrap his arm around him.

“I’m happy for you, Jean’s such a good boy,” she chuckled and stood up to give her son a hug.

He blushed and looked at her. “I don’t mean to seem… shocked, but it’s almost like you already knew.”

“That you were dating? No. That you were gay? Yes,” she smiled. “Well, actually I had an idea that you were. You never were in any relationships before now, and you never really showed that much interest anyways. I figured you were really good at abstinence, but I knew better and put two and two together. What makes me so happy is that you were honest with me, Marco. And I’m glad that you’re with Jean. I can keep a good eye on him, then.”

Jean laughed while rubbing Marco’s fingers with his thumb.

“Thanks, Mom,” Marco grinned. “You’re gonna be at the game on Friday?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” She rubbed his arm. “For right now, you should get some sleep. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

“Okay,” he smiled gently and led Jean to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, baby.”

“Yes, you will. I’ll be right in the front row.” Jean then gave him another sweet kiss on the lips, unrestrained even under watchful eyes. “Good night.”

“Good night, Jean.”

Jean went right next door, and Marco was still wistful. Things were finally turning right back around in the Year of Marco.

\--

_The Homecoming pep rally was obnoxiously_ loud. Marco was cheering on with the other teammates in the gym, while the hundreds of students either cheered back, pretended to care, or didn’t care at all. Marco didn’t mind that at all. He was looking at Jean the whole time, and he was delighted to see that he was looking right back. He was the only person that he cared about.

They were announcing the nominees for Homecoming Court, but neither of them were paying attention. Marco saw that Jean was then on his phone texting. Maybe it was for him when the rally was over. He was getting excited already just thinking about it!

“Hey, Marco!”

He was suddenly nudged by Daz as the drumline was banging hard on their instruments and the whole crowd was cheering when finishing up the nominations.

“Wha—?” He was startled.

“You were nominated for Homecoming King!”

“I-I was?” Marco blushed darkly. He never expected that!

The team kept cheering him on regardless of his surprise. Meanwhile Jean had the biggest smile on his face while watching his flustered expression. He quickly then typed on his phone again.

“Be here tonight, for the best Homecoming game this school has ever seen!”

Marco faintly heard the soccer captain’s jubilated request. He was just too excited! He and Jean were already going to the dance anyways, and it was flattering that he was chosen among all the other, cooler kids at school to possibly be the Class of 2008’s Homecoming King!

When getting back to the locker room, he started reading all the texts that Jean sent him. He touched the messages so that he could read them.

**Message from: Jean <3  
Cant wait to c u 2nite!**

**Message from: Jean <3**  
LOL! U look so cute when ur blushing like that!  
Congratulations, baby! :D

“Why, that little…” Marco giggled.

**Message to: Jean <3**

**You brat! LOL**

**Love u <3**

He put his phone away to go home and get ready for tonight. He really needed to mentally prepare himself, because tonight he was going to come out to the whole school. The thought made him so anxious, but he wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.

\--

_He was only panicking just a little_ in the locker room. It was deciding what to do, what to say, and how to carry it out that was starting to eat at his insides. He had so many opportunities to tell his teammates and coaches, but he completely missed them while getting ready and thinking about seeing Jean tonight. He was so focused on the task at hand.

Now wasn’t the time for him to be too worried about his emotions. They had a game to win!

Tonight he could hear Jean’s cheering loud and clear. He’d always known that he was cheering him on at games and giving him words of encouragement while he was playing. But tonight, he definitely was able to point his voice out distinctively through the massive crowd. It motivated him, it kept him going, and he had his eyes on the prize.

He had to win tonight. Not only were the recruiters back, but he wanted to make the biggest statement he ever could imagine making. He knew he didn’t have to prove that he was still the same guy regardless of the news that will be revealed about him tonight, and he wanted to make sure that no one would dare to think otherwise. It was the best thing that he could possibly think of.

At half-time, the Homecoming nominees were driven all around the track. There were immense cheers from the home side, and of course heckles and boos from the rival side. But he wasn’t worried about all the girls that he knew were cheering him as well as the other King nominees on. Because he can hear Jean as they were being driven passed.

“You go, Marco! You’re doing great! You’ve got this!”

It was all the encouragement he needed. He looked over and blew him a kiss. The cheers and squeals from the girls surrounding Jean where he was sitting made him start to laugh. But the two of them mutually knew that the gesture was for them, and them alone. Jean was blushing the whole time, and he still tried to keep his eyes on him while they were circling around the field. He was itching with excitement!

Marco played as intensely the second half as he did the first half. He was always a team player, making sure everyone had a shot when they were out there. They knew each other’s strategies and were able to easily have the upper hand throughout the entire game. It was the greatest feeling watching his team succeed, and this was what he loved so much about the sport. The marching band was constantly playing their school’s fight song with all the touchdowns they’d made tonight.

With just seconds left on the clock, they were a shoe-in to win, with a twenty-point lead against their rival school. The crowds were already giving them a standing ovation for it. They all stood on line to shake hands with the opposing players that lost tonight, and Marco still could barely contain his excitement. This was it!

As soon as they were free to go, and everyone was still cheering and trying to get down on the field, Marco tossed his helmet aside on one of the benches and hurried up to the stands.

“Jean!” he called as loud as he could. He started to hurry up the stands, trying to get to him as fast as humanly possible.

Jean easily met him half-way, and they both had these big smiles on their faces. They held each other quickly, and with no words, apprehension, or diverting glances at the people around them, they gave each other a passionate, celebratory kiss.

Marco felt so free.

Of course he expected the reactions to be mixed, but he didn’t care. What mattered to him was that he was expressing himself. He truly felt like a superstar, as Jean always liked to call him. He was able to show the whole school that he was in love with the most amazing guy that he ever met in his entire life. Knowing that gave him an extra confidence boost. Nothing could get any better than this.

\--

_Not to brag or anything, but_ Jean and Marco were the cutest couple there. Most of the other students at the dance were either on their cell phones off to the sides or not leaving anything to their imagination. There was no in between. But the happy couple was able to create one. They kept it classy, dancing in complementary dress clothes and following the rules of the school dance. For now. They didn’t make promises that they were only going to stay an arm’s length apart from each other during the slow section.

They practically _made_ the dance. And now, Marco was definitely bragging.

“This is fun,” Marco grinned while they danced together. Sure, they weren’t songs that they both enjoyed, but they were still able to have a good time.

“Yeah.” Jean took his hand. “Hey, do you wanna come to my house later? My parents aren’t gonna be home.”

He started to blush. “Oh, really?” The nod that then followed started to make him feel bashful. “I’d love to come over. I prefer being together in a bed over my car any day.”

He laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Alright, everyone!” The principal was up on the platform stage. “It’s time to announce this year’s Homecoming Court.”

Marco didn’t think that he was going to win. It wasn’t _that_ important to him. All that mattered was the two of them having fun. Besides, they were too busy ignoring the nominees for the princes and princesses to notice.

“And this year’s Homecoming King is… _Marco Bodt!_ ”

His heart jumped up to his throat.

There were a significant amount of people that used to be his friends that weren’t impressed, and there was an overwhelming majority that cheered him on. The reactions didn’t mean anything to him right now.

“Go on,” Jean insisted eagerly. “Get the crown!”

“O-oh, right,” he laughed and went up to receive it. It felt so strange being set even further onto the spot! But to be honest, he really liked it.

The Homecoming Queen was this sweet girl named Hannah. She already had a boyfriend, too, so they both were pretty okay with the idea of sharing just this one dance. The slow song that came on relaxed him, and they went through the motions.

“Sorry, I’m not the best dancer,” Hannah mumbled shyly.

“It’s alright. Neither is Jean.” He leaned close to her ear a bit. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

She started to giggle, and he watched her relax while they continued their dance. The song segment was only a couple minutes long, but they enjoyed it.

Another slow song came on right after, and after the two Homecoming royalties finished it up, they went back to their respective partners. Marco took Jean to the middle of the dancefloor with the crown still on top of his head, and he led him in the next song.

Jean wrapped his arms around him fully and rested his head on his shoulder. Marco was all lit up with happiness while dancing with him. It felt so natural just guiding him like this. This dance was absolutely amazing. The year had just started, and he already felt like tonight was the night that officially topped it.

The tender kiss in the middle of the dancefloor was well-received by the crowd. But mutually, everything else that they would do together behind closed doors was going to be left to their imagination.

\--

_“J-Jean! Ohh yes, that’s sooo good!”_

_Sprawled out on Jean’s bed, Marco_ let himself become loosened up and serene underneath Jean’s body. He felt three of his lubed fingers stretching him and making him feel weak.

“Marco, I want you so badly,” he murmured while he left kisses in his hair and on his face. “Are you ready for my cock, baby?”

“Mmm yes, yes!” He whimpered and started to rock his hips.

On their ride home from the dance, they’d discussed what they planned on doing once home alone at Jean’s place. They felt like now was the perfect time to take it to the next level for the first time tonight. They were still elated from such a great dance. Neither of them were afraid. Jean had his experience, and Marco trusted his boyfriend to take care of him.

As Jean bent his legs back and kept him spread wide, he slowly pulled his fingers out. He looked at him happily. “Look at you… You’re so gorgeous.”

“Ohhh, you.” He bashfully turned away.

His lover had cupped his chin in his hand before giving him another kiss. “it’s true, Superstar.”

He felt sparks all over his body, while Jean gently touched him with his nimble fingers. He was starting to whine from the loss, waiting for Jean to continue. He watched him take a condom out of its wrapper and slide it onto himself. This was it.

The tip of Jean’s dick was right up against him, and he whimpered while trying to keep still. Shivers ran down his spine, and feeling hands run down his thighs and his body was more relieving. Jean was looking down while slicking himself up, and he stayed aligned with him.

“Jean… kiss me?” he whined as he looked up at him.

His smile soothed him, and Jean held the back of his head to keep him close as they kissed each other. His soft lips and that familiar lip ring eased him and relaxed all his muscles. He barely noticed when Jean started to push inside him, but when he realized he gasped at the sensation. His cock made him feel so _full_ , and he was bigger than his three fingers.

“Ohhh, fuck,” he whimpered and panted as he pulled away from the kiss, “Jean, you’re so _big_.”

He heard him chuckle while he was kissing down to his neck. “Are you okay?”

Marco nodded while panting. “Yes. Please, I want you so badly. Baby…”

Feeling Jean start to move inside him made him shake. This felt more intimate and special to him than their other sexual encounters. This was much bigger, and he felt even closer to Jean than he ever did before. This was what he loved, and he wanted even more of this.

There was a slight burn to his first few thrusts while he was adjusting, and despite the initial pain he was able to enjoy himself. Jean’s kisses and the way his hands caressed his body distracted him from it and helped him give in to the sensation and relax. His moans were soft at first, as if he was experimenting just how he was supposed to convey his pleasure. The way he was spread out on either side of Jean’s frame made him feel self-conscious at the exposure, but Jean helped him every step of the way.

Jean set a gradual rhythm, and Marco _loved_ the way that he was fucking him. His cock slid in and out in _deep_ strokes, and while his strokes only pulled out about half way as he was getting faster, that just increased the pleasure.

“Y-yes, Jean, just like that,” he gasped out as there was a change in the angle. He could feel him go so deep. As he was giving Jean the okay that he was feeling even better than when they started off, that was when Jean began to let go.

The bed started to creak underneath them, and Marco let out louder moans when Jean started to add more weight to his thrusts. It felt so intense, and despite how tightly his legs were already wrapped around his back, he reached up to grip his arms.

“Y’like that, Superstar?”

Hearing his nickname in such a lustful, hushed tone made him weak in the knees. He whined and quickly nodded. “Yeah, yeah! Yes, don’t stop. Please.”

Not only did he not stop, but he went harder, too! Marco was able to take it just fine, but this was much more intense than Jean’s fingers. He couldn’t believe how much he was missing out on!

Then Jean got his prostate with each deep thrust, and Marco was gone.

“FUCK! Right there, _yes!_ Yes, yes, _yes!_ ”

Jean had an iron grip on his thighs while he was keeping it up, with that same relentless pace driving him further into the bed that was currently being slammed against the wall. His moans aroused Marco further, and he could hear his whines and groans while they held on to each other.

Marco could reach the stars! He met Jean move for move as best as he could while rocking back, and it amplified the pleasure for the two of them. Just as it was getting even better, he started to drip. His eyes shot open to see that tell-tell familiar stream of pre-come that reminded him he was getting close. And Jean stared down at him with this hungry look on his smirking face. His whole face was tinted red with the blush rising on the both of them.

“P-please, touch me,” Marco whimpered out. “F-fuck me, it’s too good! Don’t stop!”

Marco lost his grip on Jean’s arms and reached down to quickly grab the sheets as he just felt the fire continue to burn. Every soaked, tight stroke of his cock, and every deep thrust that was fucking him into the bed was all too much. He began to scream for it, not sure whether to rock his hips up into Jean’s hand or back against his dick. Another quick spurt of pre-come going up his stomach made him unable to decide. He praised Jean with each gasp for air and cries dripping with swears and echoes of his name. Jean kept kissing his neck and shoulders, leaving love bites near his collar. Although his noises weren’t nearly as loud, each one that Marco managed to hear through his own chaos made him jolt more. It was music to his ears!

He barely had any time to warn him that he was about to come. He could barely speak English at this point, and he just encouraged his lover on with cries of his name and _“Oh, yeah!”_ and _“Oh fuck, oh my god!”_ with each interjection sounding higher than the first. Jean knew and spoke his language, his thrusts and strokes continuing mercilessly. He felt Jean also start to get close as well, and he could tell with his faltering pace and shaky gasps each time that Marco clenched around him.

The light at the end of the tunnel was blinding. His orgasm was so hot. His senses stopped short, and all he could do was just _come._ His cries were loud and his body was trembling _everywhere,_ like nothing he’d ever experienced before. His iron grip on Jean when he tumbled after him was unmistakable. They were lost together, and they guided each other back to reality.

Marco was speechless for several minutes, just panting hard and feeling cooling kisses everywhere while Jean was pulling out of him. Even while he was trying to get rid of the used condom, he was trying to keep his grip on him, like he didn’t want him to leave.

“It’s okay…” Jean kissed his lips so tenderly while they were getting the blankets over themselves to cover below their waists. “It’s okay. You were so good, Marco.”

He was still breathless while looking up at him. Marco smiled up at him and blearily tried staying focused while his flushed face was lighting up. “You were too, baby.”

They both enjoyed a slow, tender kiss that seemed to last forever. For Marco, it was no longer “The Year of Marco.” It was “The Year of Marco and Jean.” The both of them were going to finish up high school together, and he couldn’t imagine doing this without him.

“I love you, Jean.” He rested against him and felt more soothed when Jean held him closer to his chest. Marco smiled as he heard him say good night and begin to drift off to the sound of Jean’s voice.

“I love you too, Superstar.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! This is my first serious writing AND explicit writing in almost a year, so it really helps boost the confidence! Comments are very much appreciated.
> 
> tumblr: tiff-the-little-wanderer.tumblr.com  
> writing blog: flutefluffwrites.tumblr.com  
> twitter: @wandering_tiff


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